Willoughby the Dog

Willoughby is a minor animated cartoon fictional character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series of cartoons. He is a hound dog who is characterized by his below-average intelligence^[1] and overall gullibility.

Willoughby first appeared in the 1940 cartoon Of Fox and Hounds.^[2] He was created and voiced by Tex Avery.^[3][4] According to Chuck Jones,the character was based on Lennie, from Of Mice and Men (of which the title of Of Fox and Hounds is a knockoff). Critic Steven Hartley described this short as lacking in creativity, originality, excitement, and story construction, particularly compared to Avery's seminal earlier work A Wild Hare.^[5]

Willoughby later appears in other Warner Brothers animated shorts, including The Heckling Hare (1941),^[6][7] The Crackpot Quail (1941),^[8][9] and Nutty News (1942),^[10] as the lead dog of a fox hunting party. Willoughby's brief career was essentially over before the end of World War II.

Appearances

1. Of Fox and Hounds (1940)
2. The Crackpot Quail (1941)
3. The Heckling Hare (1941)
4. Nutty News (1942) Cameo, only Black & White appearance
5. The Hep Cat (1942) Renamed Rosebud.
6. Ding Dog Daddy (1942)
7. An Itch in Time (1943)
8. Hare Ribbin' (1944) With hair only time
9. Hare Force (1944) Renamed Sylvester
10. A Horse Fly Fleas (1947) (Shaped like the Barnyard Dog)
11. Foxy by Proxy (1952)

References

1. T. K. Kelly. "Distasteful Toons: the Top 5 Most Offensive Looney Tunes Characters". Top 5. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
2. Of Fox and Hounds at the Internet Movie Database
3. Dave Mackey. "Warner Bros. Cartoon Filmography – 1940 (Of Fox and Hounds)". Dave Mackey Dot Com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
4. Eric O. Costello. "Avery, Frederick Bean (Tex) (1908-1980)". Warner Bros. Cartoon Companion. Archived from the original on April 30, 2006. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
5. Steve Hartley (November 2, 2013). "309. Of Fox and Hounds (1940)". Likely Loonie, Mostly Merrie. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
6. Steve Hartley (May 29, 2014). "334. The Heckling Hare (1941)". Likely Loonie, Mostly Merrie. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
7. The Heckling Hare at the Internet Movie Database
8. Steve Hartley (March 9, 2014). "317. The Crackpot Quail (1941)". Likely Loonie, Mostly Merrie. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
9. The Crackpot Quail at the Internet Movie Database
10. Nutty News at the Internet Movie Database